Furnace tray basket



Nov. 9, 1948. H. F. JACKSON FURNACE TRAY BASKET Filed May 8, 1946 2 sheets sheet 1 5 a m m: W 4 7 a l 5 m 6 INVENTOR. HARDLD F. JABKE UN Nova 9, 1948. H. F. JAckso 7 2,453,511

FURNACE TRAY BASKET Filed May 8, 194a 2 sheets-sheet 2 IIE'Ef E I O .0 16th? J L lil I J INVENTOR. HAROLD I"; JAGKS cm Patented Nov. 9, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE a l 2,453,511 p FURNACE TRAYBASKET Harold F. Jackson, Springfield, Ohio, assignor to lihe Ohio Steel Foundry Company, Lima, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application May 8, 194.6, Serial No. 668,115

It has been customary, so far as I am aware, to use baskets of this character having singlepiece separable sides mounted on a furnace tray and secured together at the corners of thebasket and to the tray by corner bolts, or the like. These baskets, when mounted on a tray, are of rigid construction therewith, and even if:the

tray itself is of a flexible nature, the construction 3 Claims. gel. 26347) in which articles carried by the tray are to be of the basket is such as to prevent any flexibility thereof, thus defeating a characteristic. found highly desirable in such baskets and which reduces to a minimum breakage incident to stresses set up in the sides.

Another objection incident to the use of such baskets is that breakage occurring in any side portion of the basket will necessitate rep1acement of the entire side. Also, such baskets have not had proper provisions for the admission of gases to or from the interior thereof and around the small articles in the basket. j

An object of the invention is the provision of an improved construction of furnace tray basket, whereby it is rendered flexible to permit twisting and distorting movements thereof under stresses to which subjected in use.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a basket of the character described that is constructed in a manner to reduce breakage losses in use to a minimum, and also to permit easy and quick replacement of cracked or broken parts without necessitating replacement of an entire side section.

Other advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, and from the accompanying drawings illustrating one embodiment thereof, in which- Fig. 1 is a plan view of a basket embodying the invention mounted on a tray, with parts broken away; Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3-3 in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is an enlarged section on the line 4-4 in Fig. 2; Figs. 5, 6 and '7 are plan, outer side and end views, respectively, of one of the basket side bars, and Figs. 8 and 9 are top edge and side views of an end cross-bar of a tray.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a work supporting furnace tray and 2 a basket embodying the invention mounted thereon.

The tray l, in the present instance, is of the flexible type and comprises two transversely spaced runners 3, 4, for lengthwise travel on a pair of guide rails extending through an oven free flexing of the basket so that it may conform heat-treated. One of such runners is provided with a single edge flange ,5 for guiding coaction with one side of the respective rai15, while the other is preferablyprovided with two of such edge flanges, also designated 5, for coaction with opposing edges of the rail on which it travels. Eachrunner 3, 4 has a plurality of pairs of ears 6 rising from its top with the pairs of cars in spaced relation lengthwise of the runners. Front and rear end bars I transversely connect the opposite end portions of said runners, with the bars disposed, in the spaces between. respective end pairs of ears 6 and loosely secured therein by pins or rods 8 extending through the several pairs of cars lengthwise of the runners. Intermediate the end bars I are a plurality of cross-bars 9, which are transversely spaced from each other and from the bars I and are mounted on the rods 8 between the ears 6 of intermediate pairs. The openingsthrough the ears 5 and bars 7 and Bare larger thanthe rods 8 to permitlimited relative movements of the bars and runners, thus making the tray of flexible character. This flexibility is facilitated by ,making the spaces between the ears of the pairs wider than the thickness of the bars. The ends of the bars I and 9 project a short distance beyond the outer sides of the re spective runners. Nothing new is claimed in the present case for a tray construction of this form. The basket 2 is composed of a plurality of bars ll built up in rectangular form and connected together at their ends by pins or rods l2 rising from the respective outer ends of the tray bars 1, each of which is provided with a vertical eye I3 in its end for loosely receiving the lower end of the rod. These rods may be secured in the eyes l3 by cross or cotter pins I4 extending through registering openings in the rods and bar ends.

Each bar II has 2, lug l5 projecting lengthwise from one half of each end for lapping a corresponding lug on the adjacent end of a horizontally registering bar of an adjoining side of the basket. These lugs are provided with eyes ll preferably of elongated form, which are broader than and adapted to receive the respective corner rods I2 to secure the several side bars of the basket in assembled or built-up relation. The loose fit of the rods 12 in the eyes I! permits a to any flexing movement of the tray I in its travel through the furnace. The upper end of each rod is provided with a washer is which is secured thereon in a manner to prevent its re- 3 moval from the rod and to hold the several bars of a basket in loose assembled relation.

Each side bar ll of the basket has its body portion intermediate the lugs 15 of thin or slatlike form and slightly inclined to a vertical or to the axes of the lug eyes 11, as best shown in Fig. 4, so that the adjacent edges of superposed against warp-age or breakage due to changing heat conditions.

In the use of baskets having one-piece sides, it is found that fractures or cracks, due to stresses set up by change in heat conditions, frequently occur only in a portion of a side,

and if such a side is permitted to remain without replacement the crack will seen extend through the entire side. This requires frequent replacement of the entire side of a'basket. This is avoided by'the use of a plurality of bars, as in the present case, making up a side wall of a basketyfor if a fracture occurs in any side bar, which is not frequently the case, it is only necessary to replace such bar, thus efiecting a considerable saving in expense and work incident to any such replacement. Furthermore, the bar construction of sides, as in the present case, with their ends loosely connected together, permits an easyflexing of the entire basket to conform to. distortion or flexing movements of the tray or to strains or stresses set up in the basket sides during use.

I wish it understood "that my invention is-not limited to any specific construction, arrangement or form of the parts, as it is capable of numerous modifications and changes without departing from the spirit of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent, is:

1. In a .furnace tray bracket, a flexible tray forming the basket bottom and comprising runners and a plurality of transversely spaced cross bars, a pin rising from each end of each outer cross bar, a plurality of side bars built up in separable superimposed relation on the tray to form each side of the basket, each bar having a body portion of transversely inclined slat-form with its adjacent edges transversely offset to provide louver spaces for air circulation therebetween, and each bar having at each end of said body portion a perforated lug for loosely receiving said pin, said lug being substantially half the depth of the body portion to. alternate on a pin with the respective bar lugs of an adjacent side of the basket, and means cooperating with the pins to retain the tray and several side bars in loosely assembled, relation.

2'. An arrangement as called for in claim 1 wherein the adjacent offset edges of the side bars terminate on substantially the same horizontal plane, and the body portions of each bar align with the corresponding portions of endwise adjoining bars. V

3. 'In a furnace tray basket of the class described, a plurality of bars arranged one over the other at each side of the basket to form such side, and means loosely connecting the ends of the bars together at the corners of the basket, the bars of adjoining sides being endwise aligned and each bar having a half-depth end lug lapping a corresponding lug of an endwise adjoining bar and each bar having a transversely inclined body portion of slat-form laterally spaced at its edges from the'body portion of an adjoining bar of the same side to provide an air circulating space" therebetween.

HAROLD F; JACKSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

